


Close To You

by NovaButterfly



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 03:43:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8781631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovaButterfly/pseuds/NovaButterfly
Summary: Tom comes to Marco for help winning Star over, or at least that's what Marco thinks he's asking. Only Tom and Star know the truth.Spoilers for season 2. Working title, may change later.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers! If you have not seen all of season 2 there will be spoilers in this fic.
> 
> I'm choosing to ignore Glossaryck being taken in this fic because I really don't want a super dramatic story. I just want to focus on angsty teen romance.

Well this was unexpected. When Marco was called out of class for a visitor he was expecting one of his parents to be there with a forgotten lunch or an excuse to pull him and Star out of class early. Instead he found a pink haired demon waiting for him. True they had become friends recently with their shared love for boy bands, all past incidences of ping pong completely forgotten. Still, it was a bit odd that the demon showed up at his school, went to the office and requested that he be called out of class. There must be a serious problem for him to go that far. He knew that Star was ok, he’d left her sleeping back in the classroom, so why else would he be here? Was there another Mackie Hand marathon he hadn’t heard about?

He approached Tom and waved a friendly hand. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“Marco! There he is. You look great today. Is that a new red hoodie?” Tom circled Marco as he spoke.

“Uh…no? Is that what you came here for?”

“Haha that’s funny. You’re such a funny guy, Marco.”

“Ha…right. Um seriously though, Tom. What are you doing here?”

Tom sighed and slouched down on a bench near the wall. “I need your help with something.”

“Oh. Ok. What is it? Some kind of fight? Should I get Star?”

“No!” Tom shouted, leaning forward and gripping the edge of the bench seat.

Marco jumped back a bit at his sudden outburst. “Ok, ok. No Star.”

“Sorry.” Tom visibly relaxed again. “No, there’s no fight. This is more of a…personal issue.”

Marco sat beside Tom and leaned back against the wall. It wasn’t easy getting Tom to talk about sensitive things. He could see he was going to have to squeeze the request out of him.

“Alright. I’m here for you. What do you need?” Marco asked, patting Tom’s shoulder.

“I heard from Star that you started dating that girl, Jackie.”

Marco blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “W-well I mean…I think we’re dating. We went on a date and kissed. But we haven’t talked about what we are. We haven’t even gone on another date yet.”

“Either way, I now know for sure that you aren’t after Star.”

Marco sighed. “I’ve told you like a thousand times that I’m not interested in her. That whole Blood Moon thing was an accident. Nothing has changed between us. We’re just really good friends. She’s practically my sister by this point.”

“Good.” Tom fell silent and Marco saw a surprisingly shy smile on the demon’s lips.

“Oh, I get it.” Marco said. “You want me to help you win over Star’s favor. Prove to her that you’ve changed.”

“Well I…”

“Don’t worry about it Tom. We’re buds now.” Marco playfully punched Tom’s shoulder as he spoke. “I’ll have a talk with Star. You just keep working on your temper, leave the rest to me.”

Tom’s smile fell away. “Great. Thanks Marco.”

“No problem. I should probably get back to class though. I’ll let you know how it goes with Star.” Marco stood and began walking away from the demon only pausing to wave goodbye over his shoulder.

When Marco got back to class Star was right where he’d left her, in a puddle of her own drool on her desk. He decided to let her sleep. Lunch was next so he could just talk to her then. He needed time plan his argument anyway. He knew how Star felt about Tom. He had been showing progress but it wasn’t enough for Star. She was surprised when she’d found out about Marco’s new friendship with him. She expected an angry or injured Marco to come back from the movies. Instead he’d been smiling when he came in and immediately sat her down to tell her all about the evening he’d had with Tom. He left out the bit about Tom using him to graduate anger management and looking back he’s not sure he should have. If Tom wanted to date her it was a good idea for her to know everything. After all, using someone, getting angry and then using gifts to make up for it was common in abusive relationships. He shook that thought from his head. He would have to tell her about that part of the night and hope that Tom wouldn’t get mad at him for it.

When the bell rang for lunch Marco found himself nervous. There was a chance that Star would get angry and march off to tell off Tom for using him, even if the night had turned out awesome. He’d have to be careful about how he told her. He followed the blonde as she skipped towards the lunch room, humming a cheerful tune and greeting all the people she passed. Marco felt a pang in his chest. Of course Tom would like Star. She was so cheerful and courageous. She didn’t let anyone put her down and kicked butt 24/7. Marco recognized this feeling as jealousy. But what for? It’s not like he’d never hang out with them again if they started dating. They could double date with him and Jackie. Sure, things would be different but not that much, right?

Marco snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed Star’s wand waving in front of his face. He backed up a bit and met her concerned eyes.

“You ok? You were kind of zombie like for a second there.” She said, lowering her wand.

“Yea I was just thinking about something. Sorry.”

“Uh oh. What are you obsessing about?”

“What? I’m not obsessing about anything. I was just…thinking about after school plans.”

“Oh yea? What’cha thinking?”

“Maybe we could go out with some friends. I could invite Jackie and Janna, Ferguson, maybe Tom.”

“Tom?”

“Yea. Why not?”

“It’s just…I don’t know. Weird I guess. I know you guys are all buddy-buddy now but…do you really think it’s a good idea to have him around our friends?”

“Sure. He’s really changed Star. He’s a lot calmer now and more honest about how he’s feeling. Anger management is doing him some good. His sponsor told him that becoming friends with the person he hated most was a huge stride toward his goal.”

“I guess. Just…be careful ok, Marco? I’ve thought he was changing before too and I got burned. I don’t want that to happen to you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m confident that he’s doing better. I’d bet my whole Love Sentence CD collection on it.”

“If you say so.”

The two sat down with their food at a table already occupied by Janna.

“Hey guys, what’s with the serious faces?” She asked, flicking a piece of corn in the air and catching it in her mouth.

“Oh, you know Marco.” Star said.

“Oh yea.” Janna said, laughing.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Marco asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Nothing, nothing. Just that you’re super dramatic.” Janna smiled.

“What? I am not dramatic!” Marco stood and slammed his hands on the table. A blush crept over his face when the girls snickered at him. He sat back down and cleared his throat. “Not dramatic…” he mumbled.

“So what are you two up to after school? Resurrecting a murderer? Hunting for evil clowns?”

“Actually, we were thinking about doing something as a group. Maybe get a burger or something. You in?” Star asked, leaning in close and whispering the last bit as if it were some big secret.

Janna leaned in as well and whispered. “Oh yea.”

The two grinned and sat back in their seats while Marco rolled his eyes at them.

“We figured we’d ask Ferguson and Jackie too.” Marco said, taking a big gulp of juice.

“Ask Jackie what?” Jackie asked, appearing from behind Marco and sitting beside him on the bench.

Marco choked on the juice still in his mouth as a blush dusted his cheeks. He coughed a few more times before calming himself and taking a deep breath.

“We uh, we’re going to go grab a burger after school today. Want to come?” He asked, trying to act cool after choking in front of her.

“Yea, sure. Sounds fun.” She smiled, causing Marco’s blush to brighten.

After lunch Marco borrowed Star’s phone and called Tom telling him about the plan. Tom seemed less excited than he’d expected.

“Look, I know a group hang out isn’t ideal but we have to start small. Let her see that you can get along with some of her friends.” Marco said, trying not to speak too loudly lest Star overheard. Or worse, Janna.

“Yea. I guess.” Tom responded.

“So you’ll be there?”

“Sure.”

“Great. I’ve got to go. See you there.”

Marco hung up and rejoined Star and the others as they walked to class. “Tom’s in.” He said, handing the phone back to his friend.

“Great.” Star said without enthusiasm.

“It’ll be fun Star. You’ll see.”

She still had her doubts by the time school was over and they were headed to the diner. Tom could be really sweet when he wasn’t angry, but as soon as something set him off all hell broke loose. Literally. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to freeze him again to protect her friends.

Tom was already there when the group walked in. He stood and waved them over, a smile on his face. Star narrowed her eyes at him and greeted him cautiously.

“Hello Thomas.” She said, eyeing him.

“Hey Star.” He said, a noticeable color rose to his cheeks.

Star pulled out a chair at the end and plopped herself down. Marco went to stand beside Tom.

“Guys, this is Tom. Tom, this is Ferguson, Janna and Jackie.” Marco introduced everybody, gesturing with his hand to who was who.

Tom stared at Jackie as everyone claimed their seats. Tom sat across from Star, Marco beside her with Jackie on the other side of him. Marco noticed Tom staring at Jackie and cleared his throat to draw the attention to him.

“So, I bet this looks like a triple date huh?”

Janna looked at Ferguson and stuck her tongue out while pointing a finger down her throat. “Don’t be gross, Marco.” She said.

“Yea Marco, don’t be gross.” Star joined in, crossing her arms.

“It won’t be like that for too long. I invited someone else to join us.” Jackie chimed in, taking a sip from the water that was placed in front of her.

“Who?” Marco asked, turning to face her and feeling his cheeks warming already.

“Oskar.”

“Oskar?” Star asked, eyes growing big and heartrate speeding. On the one hand, she was excited. She still had a major crush on Oskar and she rarely got to hang out with him. On the other, if Tom realized she had a crush on him he’d go crazy and probably try to hurt him. She’d have to play it cool once he got there.

“Yea I passed him on my way out and we chatted for a bit. He should be here soon.”

Star looked at Marco and figured he must be just as worried with the look he was giving Tom. What she didn’t know was that he was more worried about his friend being hurt by the appearance of Star’s crush. Hopefully he wouldn’t notice. Of course, Star turned into a stuttering mess when it came to Oskar. The bell above the door chimed and Oskar strode in, making his way towards their table.

“Hey Oskar.” Marco said, lifting his hand in way of greeting.

“Hey Marco. Hey Star.” Oskar said, taking the seat at the end of the table between Star and Tom. The worst possible seat he could take.

“H-hi Oskar.” Star said, as her cheeks turned pink and she fluttered her fingers in a shy wave.

Marco looked to Tom but he was unfazed. It was like he hadn’t even noticed, or just didn’t care. He wasn’t even looking at them.

“Whoa, cool horns dude.” Oskar said, turning his attention to Tom.

“Uh, thanks. Nice fangs.” Tom responded, smiling a little.

Star stared at Tom wide eyed. He was totally calm. Maybe Marco was right. Maybe he really did change this time. Perhaps they could go back to having a real friendship.

“So, I was thinking this weekend we could go see a movie or something.” Jackie said, turning to Marco and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Tom’s eyes shot to the two of them and narrowed. He frowned as his eyebrows scrunched together. Star knew he was getting angry now. But at what? He was so calm with Oskar. Was it just a delayed reaction? She followed his glare and found that he was focused on Marco and Jackie. She wanted to ask him what was going on but unless he did something she wasn’t going to say anything. Glaring wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, even for Tom. As long as he kept his hands, and fire, to himself everything would be fine.

Orders were taken, food eaten, banter and conversation exchanged and bills paid. The group left the diner together and Jackie donned her skateboard. Janna followed Oskar to his car, demanding a ride and Ferguson took off towards a convenience store leaving the four of them alone. Jackie skated slowly beside Star as they chatted. Marco and Tom fell behind.

“So, that went pretty well!” Marco exclaimed quietly.

“Yea, I guess so.” Tom responded, staring at the ground in front of him.

“You guess? It was great! You stayed calm the whole time. Star didn’t yell at you once. I thought for sure you would lose it when Oskar got there since Star clearly has a crush on him. But you didn’t! You even complimented him! You definitely impressed her.”

Tom sighed and turned his gaze to watch the girls in front of him. Something was wrong but Marco didn’t know what. He should be happy. The outing went really well. Star would warm up to him in no time. So why was he so down? The group stopped at a light and Tom looked at Marco.

“I don’t mean to sound like a downer. What you did for me today was really great. You’re a great guy, Marco. A great friend. I’m really glad we were able to become so close.”

“Me too, buddy.” Marco patted him on the back before he stepped forward to talk to the girls.

Star looked back at Tom. His expression was soft now, eyes half lidded and dreamy looking. His smile, Star noticed, was directed at Marco. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions but a thought forced its way into her head. Did Tom have a thing for Marco?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went back and corrected typos in the first chapter. I didn't see any in this one but if you find one please let me know. Also, thanks for the support so far! I really appreciate it.

Marco was running through the deserted town. He knew the monster chasing him was only a few steps behind. He couldn’t stop. He had to find Star. He called out for her but his voice wouldn’t come. His legs grew weak but if he stopped now the thing would get him. His head hurt, his legs were tired and his lungs burned. The feeling of dread overtook him. Somehow, he knew that the people he cared for were dead. Even Star. So why he should he keep going? He was about to give up when he heard a voice in the distance.

“Marcoooooo.” It was Star’s voice calling for him. “Marco.” She called again. But where was she? Was she alive or hurt somewhere, calling him for help because she was injured? Who was in that was attacking? Ludo? Toffee? A foe even worse than the two of them? He tried to answer her but he couldn’t. His voice caught in his throat and only a strangled gasp passed his lips. He tried again and only got the same. He looked to the sky, trying to find any sign of hope when he tripped and fell to the ground, rolling for a few feet before he stopping. The thing that had been chasing him descended on top of him. He screamed.

Marco woke in his bed with a start. He was sweaty and panting. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and sighed. The nightmare had left him a little shaky. It had felt so real and terrifying. His heart was still pounding in his chest even as he took deep calming breaths.  He was still exhausted but didn’t know if he could get back to sleep now. Luckily, the following day was a Saturday. He could afford to sleep in a little and still have time to meet Jackie for their movie date. He closed his eyes and tried to settle back into sleep.

“Hey Marco.” Star’s voice came from seemingly nowhere, startling him enough to fall off the side of his bed.

Star peeked down over the side of his bed to where he was on the floor. He’d landed on his back with his feet above his head and his butt in the air. Karate left him quite flexible so he wasn’t in too much pain, other than in his back and elbow where he’d hit the floor.

“Oops, was that my fault?” Star asked, placing a hand to her mouth.

“Partially, yes.” Marco said, righting himself and climbing back on the edge of his bed beside her. “What are you doing in here?”

“I don’t know. Couldn’t sleep. You looked like you were having a nightmare.” She leaned back against the wall next to his bed and picked at the skin around her nails.

“Yea. I was. Some giant monster thing was after me. It was pretty freaky.”

“We fight monsters every day.”

“I know but this one was worse. I couldn’t find you anywhere either. I thought you were…well, never mind. The point is, it was a terrible dream and I’m glad it’s over.”

Star stared at him silently for a minute before turning her eyes down to his bed. She couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d seen. Tom was staring at Marco like a lovesick puppy. She knew that look because it was the look he used to give her. At one point she’d found it sweet the way he’d look at her with love struck eyes and whispered sweet nothing so sickeningly sweet you’d get a cavity. Now the glare he’d been giving Jackie at the diner made sense. He was jealous of her flirty with Marco, mad that she could do so freely because their feelings were mutual. She knew the two had become friends but she never imagined it would develop into a crush. Not so quickly anyway. She wanted to tell Marco but wasn’t sure that she should. Was it her place? Should she warn Marco before Tom came after Jackie?

“You ok, Star?” Marco asked, waving his hand in front of her face.

Her gaze snapped back to him. “Yep. Just fine. I think I’ll just go back to my room.” She scooched to the edge of his bed and stood.

“You sure? You seem kind of out of it.”

“Yea, yea. I’m cool. Totally cool. Just tired. See ya in the morning.”

Marco raised an eyebrow as he watched her go but was too tired to worry right now. Star was just weird sometimes, lost in her own head. He’d talk with her tomorrow. For now, he wanted to try and get some more sleep. Hopefully he’d be nightmare free.

She left his room, closing the door behind her. Before she said anything to Marco she had to find out the truth from Tom. There was no point in messing with their friendship. After all, he may just feel possessive of Marco. Tom never had any human friends before this. He didn’t have many friends at all for that matter. Maybe Star was overreacting. She tended to do that sometimes and the last thing she wanted to do was make things awkward for her friends.

The following day was a Saturday. Star had slept in and then spent another hour lying in bed staring at the ceiling. She wanted to call Tom but hadn’t worked up the nerve yet. The two boys got along so well, she really didn’t want to mess up their relationship with her speculations. Still, she had to know. There were so many things that could go wrong if Tom went unattended. Especially if he got angry. Marco would hate him forever if he hurt Jackie. Star would hate him forever if he hurt anyone at all. So many relationships could be ruined if she didn’t take care of things.

With a big sigh, she flung herself out of bed and crawled over to her mirror. Even when she knew she had to do something, she didn’t have to be happy about it. She sat up and crossed her legs where she was seating on a small pile of stuffed animals.

“Call Tom.” She said from her spot on her floor. The mirror changed from a reflection of her room to a nonreflective light blue. It rang a few times before Tom’s face appeared in the mirror.

“Hey Star. It’s unusual for you to call me. Is something wrong?”

“No, not really.” She sat on the floor and looked up at Tom. “I was just wondering about something.”

“You don’t want to try riding penguins again, do you? Because last time it didn’t end so well.”

“No. Nothing like that. It’s about Marco.”

“Oh.” His face turned serious at the mention of the other boy’s name.

“So yesterday you were pretty cool. You didn’t blow up once.”

“Thanks for noticing. I’ve been making real progress.”

“You didn’t even seem to mind when Oskar was there. You know, Oskar. The cutest boy who ever lived. The boy I have a huge, huge crush on. The boy who plays keytar and sings like an angel. Oskar.”

“Uh. Yea, he seemed pretty cool.”

“Hmmmm.” Star placed a hand to her chin and raised her eyebrow. “No reaction.”

“Huh?”

“What about Jackie? She’s a great girl, huh? I think Marco really likes her.”

Tom looked away as his eyes narrowed at the mention of Jackie. She knew it! Well, kind of. She still didn’t know what his feelings for Marco were.

“Of course, I think there’s someone who likes Marco even more than she does.”

“Really, who?” He asked, sounding very grumpy.

“You.”

His face relaxed into a look of surprise as he finally looked back at her.

“W-what? What are you talking about? He’s my friend. My buddy. My pal. We’re totally just good friends. I don’t l-like…him…”

Star was giving him a knowing look and he sighed, running a hand over all three of his eyes. Got’cha.

“Ok. So, maybe I like him a little.”

“I knew it!” Star jumped to her feet and did a little victory dance.

“Come on Star, can you blame me?”

She plopped back down on the floor, grinning ear to ear.

“I don’t understand, though. You hated him like two months ago, I know you guys became friends after that movie marathon, but when did you start liking him?”

“Honestly, that same night. I didn’t realize it at first. But the way he kicked down the door to my carriage was so…hot. And when we were singing to each other, it was magical.”

“You guys sang to each other?” Star scrunched up her face, ready to puke or laugh at any moment.

“Oh, did he leave that part out?” A light blush became visible on Tom’s cheeks. “It was a, uh, love song. Technically about a break up, but still…”

“Wow. You guys are super dorks.”

“What do I do, Star? He’s got a girlfriend.” Tom put his head in his hands and whined.

“Well, kind of. They haven’t officially labeled anything yet.”

“But they made plans yesterday to hang out this weekend. And she was touching his arm.”

“Pssht, that doesn’t mean anything. Marco and I go to the movies all the time. And I totally touch his arm sometimes too.”

“I don’t know Star. They seemed pretty lovey-dovey. I don’t think I stand a chance.”

“Wow. You really have changed. Before you’d go all hell fire on her and now you’re just…mopey.”

“Yea, thanks.” He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“I’ll see what I can find out, ok? Maybe he likes you too. You never know. It wasn’t just you singing that love song.”

“Um, yea, but you should know…Marco thinks I’m still into you. He’s trying to set us up.”

Star sighed. That made sense. Now Star knew why he was talking him up yesterday. Marco was trying so hard to make her forgive him when it was actually him that Tom was after. It figures that something like this would happen to her. Why were boys so much trouble?

“I’ll handle it. I can’t promise anything though. You need to accept that Marco may choose Jackie.”

“I know.”

“But I’ll try. Ok, Tom?”

“Yea. Sure. Thanks Star.”

They said their goodbyes and the line went dead, returning to a reflection of the room and Star sitting in the middle of it. She laid back on the floor and stared up at the ceiling. Marco really liked Jackie, but Tom really liked Marco, and Jackie seemed to really like Marco too. This was turning into a love triangle that Star wasn’t sure she wanted any part in. All she wanted was for all her friends to be happy. But someone was going to get their heart broken. She just hoped it wouldn’t end badly for their friendships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm already on chapter 4 so expect pretty steady updates.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kind of amazed by how many views this has already. It's been less than a week since I posted the first chapter. I'm really grateful for the support! Things are going to start getting good soon so please stick with it!

Tom threw himself face first onto his bed and sighed so long he thought his soul was leaking out. Star knew. She knew and she was going to try to set up a way for him to tell Marco. His heart was beating so fast he felt like it might explode right out of his chest and bounce around the room. He frowned when he thought of how Marco looked when he was with Jackie. His face was red and he was fumbling over his words. That never happened when he spoke to Tom. He was probably going on a movie date with her that night. Seeing movies together was their thing. What if he was taking her to a Mackie Hand movie? What if they listened to Love Sentence together? Tom felt his anger growing inside him but it was squelched by the deepening feeling of dread.

He rolled over and looked at the pictures pinned to his wall. They were from the night he hung out with Marco. They had had such a good time. Tom wanted it to be like that all the time. If only he had realized his feelings sooner, before Jackie asked Marco out. Maybe then Marco would be blushing around him and stammering when speaking to him. The thought brought a smile to his face.

He suddenly really wanted to see Marco but he stopped himself from calling for his carriage. He needed to give Star space to scope things out for him and straighten out the whole feelings for Star thing. He sat up on the edge of his bed and tapped his foot on the ground. Sitting around anxiously was not going to make this any easier. He needed a distraction. Anything that would take his mind off Marco. Settling down in his chair in front of his TV he grabbed a controller and started up a game.

\----

Star felt anxious. How would she make it easier for Tom to make his feelings known? Star liked Jackie but she also wanted to see Tom happy. Sighing, she knocked on Marco’s door. Instead of an answer she heard a crash and a yell from Marco. She opened the door, wand ready, and found Marco’s room in disarray. Clothes were strewn everywhere; the bed was disheveled and Marco was nowhere to be seen.

“Marco?” Star called out.

“Under here.” She heard a muffled Marco beneath a pile of clothing.

Moving a couple of t-shirts, some jeans and, to her disgust, a pair of underwear she was able to locate Marco’s face. She crouched down beside him and poked his cheek with the crown on the top of her wand.

“Hey buddy, making a clothes fort?” She asked.

“No. I’m supposed to go out with Jackie tonight but I can’t find anything cool enough to wear. I went through my whole closet and there just wasn’t anything good enough. I’m going to have to buy a whole new wardrobe.” He sunk further into the clothes pile and groaned.

“I could just magic something up for you if you want.”

“I don’t know Star. Our definition of cool may not be the same.”

“Come on, don’t you trust me? Come out of your clothes fort and let me see what I can do.”

With a sigh he obeyed her orders and stood in front of her. Star tapped a finger on her chin and stared at him, taking in his appearance. She mumbled some things to herself then shook her head and began walking circles around Marco.

“Well?” He asked.

“Shh, I’m thinking.” She hissed.

This continued for another two minutes or so until Star gasped and spun until she was in front of him. She had come up with a brilliant idea that would help Marco and Tom without her choosing sides.

“I’ve got it!” She said.

“Well, what is it? What should I wear?”

“The perfect outfit for you to look super cool on your date with Jackie…is probably in Tom’s closet!”

“What?”

“Tom has totally cool clothes. We can just pop over and borrow something.”

“I don’t know. Have you seen his jeans? They’re pretty tight. I already suffered through that trend with Pony Head.”

“Just wear your own jeans. Borrow a shirt and a jacket or something.”

“Are you sure he’ll be ok with that?”

“Sure he will. Tom _really_ likes you, Marco. He’s a nice guy now, right?” Star asked, leaning in close.

Marco’s eyes widened. He’d almost forgotten his mission. “Right! Of course he is. You’ll have to come with me though. You can keep him company while I try things on.”

“No, I don’t think Tom will want to see me.”

“Sure, he will! You guys are so close.”

“Well I…ugh…fine. But maybe don’t mention your date with Jackie.”

“Why not?”

“Because Tom might…be jealous…that you have a date and he doesn’t.” Star lied.

“Well, how about a double date? You guys can come with us!”

“No!” Star shouted, throwing her hands up to stop this train of thought. “I mean…I don’t really like Tom in that way. We dated once but we were kids then. I’m really not interested in him anymore and I don’t think he’s interested in me anymore either. You saw how he was with Oskar. He’s moved on.”

“But Star-.”

“No, Marco. There is nothing that could ever make me want to go out with Tom. I don’t like him that way anymore and I never will. So just, no more double date ideas, ok?”

Marco frowned. “Ok.” He agreed. Great, now he had to break the news to Tom. Hopefully it wouldn’t put a hole in their friendship. He was really enjoying being friends with the demon. At first he had hated him but now they were getting close and it was nice.

Star sent Tom a message to warn him of their impending visit. That way he could hide anything embarrassing that might be lying around his room. Star made up excuses to stall for a few minutes to give him some time before Marco grew impatient. With dimensional scissors in hand, Star opened a portal into Tom’s bedroom. When they appeared on the other side Tom was standing in the middle of his room with an awkward smile on his face.

“Uh, hi.” He said, waving his hand too enthusiastically.

“Hey Tom. Thanks for letting me come raid your closet.” Marco said, looking around. He’d been in Tom’s room twice before when he came to ask about the Naysaya and when Tom kidnapped him and they played Ping-Pong but he hadn’t really looked around either time.

“N-no problem. What exactly are you looking for?”

“Just something cool to wear.”

“For what?”

“My, uh, picture day at school. I want to have at least one school picture where I look cool.”

“Oh sure. Well closet is right…there…” Tom trailed off as he saw Star was already buried in his closet looking through his clothes.

Marco joined her until she sent him away insisting she would find something he would like. Marco plopped next to Tom on his bed and watched Star as she scrutinized every piece of clothing she got her hands on. Tom took a sidelong glance at Marco. He was on his bed. Marco was on Tom’s bed. Together. With Tom. At the same time! Tom was sure Marco could hear his heartbeat but he didn’t say anything if he did.

Marco’s eyes darted around the room and landed on the pictures from the night they hung out. His eyes widened and he stood, crossing the room to where they were pinned. He turned back to Tom with a smile on his face.

“You kept these?” Marco asked.

“Uh…yea.” Tom’s face grew a shade darker.

“Oh man, I look so dorky here.” Marco had crouched down in front of the pictures and Tom crossed the room to join him.

“Nah, you look cu…good in that one.” Tom caught himself before he called Marco cute. Luckily the boy didn’t seem to notice.

“Seriously? But look at my face!”

“What’s wrong with your face?”

“It’s all weird. I look like I’m in the middle of a sneeze while simultaneously trying to yodel.”

Tom laughed and glanced at Marco. His face was so close to his, their shoulders bumping together as they looked at the pictures. Tom gulped down the anxious feeling and began lifting his arm to put around Marco’s shoulders. How would he react? Would he be mad? Would it be taken as just a bro thing? Despite the possible repercussions, Tom couldn’t stop his arm. He was about to make contact when Star burst out of the closet.

“Found it!” She said in a sing-song voice as she emerged with a t-shirt in one hand and a leather jacket in the other.

The two spun around to face her, Tom’s arm snapping back to his side before Marco noticed. Marco stood and went to look at the clothing Star had picked out. It consisted of a red t-shirt with a white skull in the center. The skull had a black rose in its teeth. Marco wondered why he’d never seen Tom wear it before. Shrugging, Marco stripped out of his hoodie and white shirt and slid Tom’s shirt over his head. It fit well and had the soft feeling of a worn-out shirt. He took the leather jacket next and slid his arms into the sleeves. Star stepped back and looked him up and down.

“It’s good, but you’re missing something.” She stared for another minute before snapping her fingers. “I got it! It’s your hair. It’s too flat.”

“What? My hair isn’t flat. It takes me 20 minutes to make it look like this in the morning.” Marco said, crossing his arms.

“Really? That’s what you’re doing in the bathroom? Whatever, Tom can you help?”

Tom, who had been standing quietly off to the side, jumped at the sound of his name. His face was bright red and he couldn’t take his eyes of Marco. He hadn’t thought the sight of Marco in his clothes would fire him up this much. He hadn’t been listening so he had no idea what Star wanted him to do. Marco was staring at him now. He tried to calm himself down.

“Um…I…” He said, begging Star for help with his eyes.

“Marco’s hair. Can you fix it?” She asked. A sly smile slid onto her face while Marco had his back turned.

“Uh…sure.”

Tom came to stand in front of Marco. His hands shook as he grabbed some hair gel and reached for Marco’s hair. Marco closed his eyes and Tom let out a shaky breath, his fingers pushing through the soft brown hair. He took longer than necessary to style his hair so he could keep touching him. When he was done, Marco’s hair was slightly shaggier and fell in front of his eyes a bit. He styled his hair the way he wanted to see it and now Jackie would be the one to enjoy it.

Star whistled. “Much better.” She cheered.

“I need a mirror.” Marco said, opening his eyes and reaching his hand out to Star.

She handed him a compact mirror and he looked at his hair from every angle he could reach.

“Not bad.” He said, a smile spreading across his face. “Thanks Tom.”

“N-no problem.” Tom dug his nails into his arm to keep from smiling too big.

“We’d better get back.” Star said, grabbing Marco by the arm and retrieving her dimensional scissors. She cut a hole in the air and stepped through.

“Good luck with your picture.” Tom called out after Marco.

Marco looked down, unable to meet Tom’s eyes as the guilt finally hit him. “Thanks. Can I, uh, come by tomorrow?”

Tom perked up and smiled. “Yea. Of course.”

“Great. See you tomorrow then.”

Tom waved goodbye as Marco stepped through the hole and the dimensional rift closed behind him.

Marco stood outside the movie theater feeling extremely anxious. Star and Tom had made him look pretty cool but what if Jackie didn’t think so? He thought about running to the bathroom to check his hair again but he lost the opportunity when he heard an approaching skateboard. He turned just in time to see Jackie stepping off her skateboard and waving.

“Hey, Marco.” She said, smiling in that way that made Marco act goofy.

“H-hey Jackie.”

The two walked into the theater together. Marco fought the urge to grab Jackie’s hand for fear that his hand might be too sweaty. They bought their tickets, drinks and snacks and made their way to the theater their movie was being shown in. Their first date had gone really well, well except for the whole Ludo attack. Still, Marco was glad for a date where he didn’t have to talk for a while. He’d probably be able to sneak in some glances at Jackie too. They sat next to each other near the back. Half way through the movie their elbows bumped on the armrest and Jackie laced her fingers with his. They kept their hands together as they exited the theater and walked home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't expect the chapter to go this way. Enjoy!

Marco had come home and dropped himself down onto his bed, focusing on a karate poster he’d stuck to his ceiling. Things were going well with Jackie. Better than he had ever expected. They’d held hands on the way home and when they said goodbye she kissed him again. But something wasn’t right. The butterflies he’d felt in his stomach when he first kissed her weren’t there this time. Holding her hand had been exciting at first but by the time they got to her house his hand was just sweaty and uncomfortable. He still liked her but he was worried that his like was fading into just friendship. He had thought before that he might just be in love with the idea of her and it was possible he was right. Maybe the excitement of their first kiss was just because it was his first kiss ever. He wanted that feeling every time they kissed or touched. Maybe he had to wait and it would come back again.

He rolled over on his side and focused on the chips in his wall. He wanted to talk to Star about this but he was supposed to be making her fall for Tom and talking about his relationship problems might just backfire. He suddenly remembered what she had told him earlier. Nothing would ever make her want to go out with Tom. She was over him. He really had to tell Tom when he went to return his clothes the next day. Hanging out with his friend was exciting, potentially breaking his heart was not.

Marco zipped up the leather jacket all the way and ducked his head down inside of it. It smelled like leather and something else. Something that made the hairs on his arms stand up. Tom, it smelled like Tom. Marco pulled his head back out of the jacket and blushed. He probably shouldn’t spend an evening alone in his room smelling his borrowed jacket. He took it off and hung it on the bedpost at the top of his bed and kicked off his jeans. He decided to sleep in Tom’s shirt as it was extremely comfortable and already warm from wearing it most of the day.

He lied back down and switched the light off before pulling the covers over his head. For now, he just wanted to forget all his troubles and just sleep. He’d talk to Star and Tom tomorrow.

\----

Tom paced his room anxiously as he waited for Marco to arrive. He’d left his shirt and red hoodie behind the day before and Tom may have slept with the hoodie. Around a pillow. Pretending it was Marco. Cuddling with it all night. Of course, Marco didn’t need to know all of that. He’d folded both articles of clothing that morning and left them on his bed. He had to fight the urge to grab them and smell them only to imagine he was hugging Marco for a second longer. But he’d be there any minute and Tom definitely didn’t want him to accidentally see that.

He did want Marco to find out eventually about his feelings but not like that. And not while he had a girlfriend. Or…a potential girlfriend. Tom still didn’t know exactly what their relationship was. He really didn’t want to think about it at all. All he wanted to think about was that Marco would be there in his room any second. It would be just the two of them for a while and it would be perfect.

The dimensional rift opened in his room making him jump. He calmed himself before Marco stepped through. He wore a white t-shirt with no hoodie, because Tom had it, and something about the way he looked made Tom’s heart skip a beat. He held a paper bag in one hand, the dimensional scissors in the other.

“Hey.” Tom said, much calmer than he had been the day before.

“Hey, sorry I’m a little late. Here are your clothes.” He handed the paper bag to Tom who took it with trembling fingers. “That’s actually why I’m late. I had to wash your shirt this morning because I slept in it last night.”

No! Why would he admit something so sweet after washing away the evidence? He ignored the feeling of disappointment and set the bag aside. He retrieved Marco’s things from his bed and handed them over. Marco thanked him and donned his ever-present red hoodie, letting out a sigh of relief as he did so.

“So, how did your picture go? I didn’t think they did things like that on a Saturday.”

“Oh…um…” Marco looked down at his shoes, unable to make eye contact. He suddenly felt very guilty for lying to him. “I actually…wasn’t entirely honest with you.”

“Oh?”

“I wanted to look cool…for my date with Jackie.”

“Oh.”

“Star didn’t want me to tell you because she thought it might upset you for some reason. I don’t want to lie to you though.”

“Well…how did it go?” Tom didn’t really want to know but at the same time he needed to.

“It was ok. We held hands, kissed. It was nice. Just…I don’t know.”

Tom felt sick to his stomach. “Sounds like it was great.” He knew he was speaking but he felt numb and disconnected. He needed to pretend to be happy for his friend, but the old hot tempered Tom inside wanted to burst into flames and make Jackie disappear. He was so wrapped up in that fantasy he hardly noticed that Marco was still talking.

“Yea, it sounds that way but something was lacking. I didn’t feel those butterflies this time. I was expecting fireworks and I got maybe a sparkler at best.”

Wait, what? “Really?” Tom clicked back into place as a sliver of hope grew. He felt a smile tugging at his lips and bit his tongue to stop it from showing.

“I still like her. I think. I just don’t know if dating is going to work for us.”

“That’s too bad.” For Jackie. For Tom, that was awesome.

Marco sighed and sat on the edge of Tom’s bed. “It looks like neither of us is doing too great in the relationship department. I’m not sure how to tell you this but I don’t think it’s going to work with Star. She says she just isn’t interested. I’m sorry Tom.”

Tom turned his back to Marco to hide his smile. “That…sucks. Man, I really liked her.” He managed to contain his joy and turn back to face him. “I guess I kind of saw this coming. She’s made it pretty clear that she’s over me. I guess I should just move on.”

“Maybe she’ll change her mind. I mean, the old Tom would have been furious when he heard that and you’re practically smiling right now.”

Tom cleared his throat and dug his nails into the palms of his hands to contain his joy. “No, no. Don’t worry about it. I’m ok. Really.”

“Are you sure? You were pretty hung up on Star for a while.”

“Yea, I’m sure. I really don’t know if I even like her anymore.”

“What? But you…do you like someone else?”

All three of Tom’s eyes widened as the rest of his body froze under Marco’s questioning gaze. Was now his chance? Should he tell him the truth?

“Yea…actually. I do.”

Marco smiled. “That’s great! I was so worried you’d be heartbroken when I told you.” Marco relaxed, leaning back on Tom’s pillows. “Who is it?”

“Who is what?”

“The person you like.”

Tom tried not to focus too hard on the fact that Marco was on his pillows. The same pillow he’d cuddled with pretending it was him the night before. Maybe now it would be covered in his smell.

“It’s um…well. It’s someone you know.”

“Really? Who?”

Tom nodded, feeling a blush heating his cheeks as he spoke. “Someone you know really, really well.”

“Who, Tom? Who is it?”

“I’ll tell you. Just…don’t be mad ok?”

“Mad? Why would I be…” Marco trailed off and stared at Tom with a look that said he understood what Tom was saying.

Tom held his breath, waited for Marco to say his peace about this sudden realization. He felt like his heart was racing but had also stopped simultaneously. Marco looked down at Tom’s comforter and shook his head.

“I can’t believe it. You like Jackie?” Marco asked.

Tom’s mouth fell open. How had he gotten to that conclusion? “What? No I-.”

“I thought you seemed a little too happy when I was telling you about my feelings for her. You aren’t planning to go after her, are you?”

“No! Of course not. Marco listen-.”

“I said that I’m not sure if dating will work but I haven’t given up yet.”

Tom felt like he’d been punched in the stomach and he struggled to find the words he wanted to say. “Marco, you don’t understand.”

“No, I understand. I…I should go. I’ll see you later.” Marco ignored Tom’s pleas to stay as he opened the rift and stepped through.

Tom was left standing in the middle of his room dumbstruck. He was about to tell him. He had seen the light at the end of the tunnel when the tunnel suddenly collapsed all around him. How could Marco think he liked Jackie? He’d only seen her a handful of times. He barely knew her at all. Now he wasn’t sure Marco would even talk to him again.

\----

Marco stepped into his room. He was angry, and hurt. He was also confused and jealous and so, so sad for some reason. He’d trusted Tom. How could he try to steal his girlfriend? Or…friend that was a girl that maybe would become his girlfriend. Marco tried to calm himself. Tom wasn’t really trying to steal her, he had a crush. He wasn’t asking Marco to dump her so he could ask her out. Tom had been happy when he’d found out Marco wasn’t sure about his feelings anymore. But could he blame him? After all, Marco was happy when he’d realized Tom wasn’t into Star anymore. Wait…what? Marco dropped down onto the edge of his bed. Why was he happy? Because Tom wasn’t heartbroken after all? Or because Star was no longer a threat? Marco fell backward onto his bed and covered his hands with his face. Great, he thought, you just had to make things more complicated for yourself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I recently found out my high school boyfriend (dated from age 14 to 17) is now married with a kid and the girl I like has a new girlfriend and I'm pretty sure I bombed my last final...so I needed to make myself happy with this chapter.

Star sat in front of her mirror brushing her hair. Glossaryck had insisted she stop magicking her face until her wand was completely fixed. She begrudgingly complied, even though it took much longer for her to get ready in the morning. She needed more sleep but Marco would be bursting through the door any second now demanding they get going lest they be late. Again. She set the brush aside and stared at her door, waiting. Any minute now and Marco would be there, asking her if she was ready yet. As she stared at the door, minutes passing quickly, she began to realize that Marco would not be coming to get her this morning. This thought worried her so she holstered her wand and headed down the hall to Marco’s room. Once there she knocked on the door only to be met by silence on the other side.

“Marco?” She called through the door. “You in there, buddy?”

When no response came again she let herself in. Surely if he were indecent he would have answered her. What she found on the other side of the door horrified her and shook her to her very core. Marco Diaz was sleeping in on a school day. She went to stand beside his bed and placed her compact in front of his face to make sure the mirror fogged up with the exhale of breath. Good, he was breathing. So why wasn’t he awake?

“Marco.” Star called, loudly. Nothing. She placed her hand on his shoulder and shook. “Marco, get up!” Nothing. “It’s a school day!” Still nothing. Star sighed and tapped her chin before grinning. “Marcooooo, the puppies are putting laser holes through your red belt.” She said in a sing-song voice.

With that Marco sat up in bed. “No, puppies!” He shouted.

Star giggled. “Hey sleepy head, you’re going to be late for school ya know.”

“What? What time is it?”

“Almost eight.”

Marco groaned and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. “Crap.”

“Trouble sleeping last night?”

“Yea. Too much on my mind.”

Star sat beside Marco on his bed. “Like what? Wanna talk about it?”

“I just…what do you think about Tom?”

“Marco, I told you, I’m not into him anymore.”

“No, I know that. He says he’s not into you anymore.”

“Oh. Well then, I guess he’s a pretty cool guy when he’s in a good mood. He gets jealous way too easily though.”

“Yea.”

“If you’re not trying to set me up with him, why are you asking my opinion of him?”

Marco’s face tinted pink as he stared down at his feet. “I had some really strange thoughts about him last night.”

Star’s eyes lit up as she smiled. Her job just got a lot easier. “Like what?” She asked, drawing out the syllables.

“Well, I was kind of happy when he said he wasn’t into you. Then he said he was into someone new and I got mad.”

“Oh, really?”

“I don’t know why. Or at least I didn’t. I think I want to monopolize him. I don’t want him to date someone…someone…”

“Besides you?”

“What?! No! I didn’t say that…”

“Yea, ok Marco. So, what’s the problem?”

“The person he has a crush on…you’ll never believe who it is.”

“Oh, I think I can.”

“Jackie.”

“What!?”

“I know, I was shocked too.”

“Tom said that? He said he has a crush on Jackie?”

“Yes! Or…well…no. Not exactly. He said he had a crush on someone that I know really, really well. He was also really happy when I told him things weren’t going well with her. Who else would it be besides Jackie?”

“Really, Marco?”

“What?”

“He doesn’t even know Jackie. Not really.”

“Then who?”

Star smacked her own forehead and sighed. “I wasn’t going to say anything because I thought he should be the one to break it to you but I can’t take this. It’ll take you way too long to get there yourself.”

“Ok?”

Star turned to Marco, grabbing his face between her hands and leaning in close. “Tom. Likes. You.” She said, emphasizing each word.

Marco’s eyebrows knit together. “Nu-uh.” He said between squished cheeks.

“Ya-huh.” She let go of his face and sat back. “It’s you Marco. Why else would he be happy about your relationship troubles with Jackie? Who else do you know really, really well that he would have a crush on? It sure as heck isn’t your mom!”

“But…no. He would have told me.”

“He was trying to!”

Marco thought back to their conversation the night before. He had been trying to tell him something but Marco wouldn’t listen. He was so sure it was Jackie because he’d never even considered it could be him. And he…might have feelings for Tom? That part was confusing and he wasn’t completely sure yet. For now, he needed to apologize to Tom and hear him out.

“I need to go see Tom.” Marco said, standing and grabbing his jeans off the floor.

“What about school?”

Marco sighed. “Ugh, I forgot. Ok, after school.”

\----

Marco tapped his foot impatiently on the floor as he watched the clock in the classroom. This was his last class of the day and he was anxious to go and see Tom. He needed to straighten everything out so that he could sort through his feelings once and for all. He’d avoided Jackie at lunch as seeing her would be too much right now. When the bell rang he nearly jumped out his skin. He grabbed Star’s hand on his way out the door as she had the dimensional scissors. Once outside he stopped and turned to Star expectantly.

“Calm down Marco. Do you even know what you’re going to say?” She asked, fishing in her bag for the scissors.

“Nope.” He stuck his hand out, waiting for her to hand them over.

“You had all day to think about it! What are you going to do then?”

“I have no idea.”

“Marco. Your relationship with Tom hangs in the balance. You can’t just go in there without at least an idea of what you’re going to say.”

“I know, Star. But I have to see him now before I overthink this and lose my nerve.”

Star scrunched up her face in a worried expression and sighed. “Just…be careful ok? I don’t want either of you to get hurt.” She said as she dropped the scissors into his hand.

“Ok. Thanks Star.”

The two hugged for a moment before Marco took a deep breath and cut a dimensional rift in the open air. Star watched him step through, silently praying that everything would go well between the two of them.

When Marco stepped out on the other side of the rift he was in an unfamiliar hallway. The door directly in front of him had Tom’s name in what appeared to be dried blood painted on it. He thought for sure he had been entering Tom’s room. He knocked on the door but there was no answer. A demon servant was walking by and Marco waved him down.

“Uh, do you know where Tom is?” He asked.

“In his room.” The demon responded.

“I just knocked, he didn’t answer. I also tried using the scissors to get in.”

“When Master Tom doesn’t want to be disturbed he blocks dimensional scissors from accessing his room. He hasn’t come out all day.”

Marco turned back to the door with a concerned look. Maybe he was sick. Marco stepped back up to the door and raised his hand to knock on the door but hesitated. What if Tom didn’t want to see him? According to Star, he’d been trying to tell him about his feelings yesterday. He was probably mad at him. Ignoring that thought in the back of his head he knocked again.

“Go away!” Tom yelled from the other side of the door.

“Tom…it’s, uh…it’s me. Marco.”

There was silence, followed by rustling and then the door flew open to reveal a tired looking Tom who was still in his pajamas. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was messy, not the usual “I-styled-it-this-way” messy, bed-head messy. His eyes were open wide in surprise. He smiled but it soon faded away into a frown.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, running a hand through his pink hair.

“I needed to see you.”

“I thought you were mad at me.”

“No, I…can we sit down somewhere?”

Tom stepped aside and let Marco into his room. Marco sat in the chair near his desk and Tom sat on his bed.

“So…” Tom said, looking at anything but Marco.

“I wanted to say sorry. For yesterday. I jumped to conclusions.”

“It’s ok. I…don’t like Jackie.”

“Yea, I know. I had a talk with Star.”

Tom clasped his hands together to keep them from shaking. “About what?”

“About…well, about you. She’s the one who made me realize that I wasn’t listening to you. And…she told me who you do like.”

“Oh.” Tom’s face grew red as his heart began to race. “How…” Tom took a shaky breath. “How do you feel about that?”

“I’m not sure really.” Marco dug his fingers into the sleeves of his hoodie. “I thought I liked Jackie enough to date her and now that’s not going well. I…I wasn’t angry when I thought you liked Jackie because I was afraid you’d take her from me. I was mad because I was afraid she’d take you from me.”

Tom’s eyes snapped to Marco and his mouth fell open. “You were afraid…because…”

“I don’t want you to date anyone, I guess.”

“So then do you…like me too?”

Marco’s face quickly heated up. “I don’t know. I think so. I don’t want this to turn out the same as it did with Jackie though.”

“Yea, I understand.” Tom cleared his throat nervously. “So, what do we do now?”

“I guess we just hang out like normal and see what happens?”

“Sure. Or we could kiss and see how that feels.”

Marco’s face was officially beat red as he stared at Tom and stammered his reply. “I, I…whaaat? You w-want to k-k-ki…with me you want to…”

“Yea.” Tom said, dragging his hands down his face as if trying to wipe the blush away.

Marco fell silent as he turned his eyes to the floor.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Tom said, enjoying the way Marco’s face has turned red because of him.

“If we do…and nothing happens…can we still be friends?”

“Yea. I think so.”

“Ok.”

Tom felt like a puppy given a treat. He grabbed the edge of the desk chair and pulled Marco toward him, feeling way too eager. Placing his hand on the side of Marco’s face Tom took a moment to stare at the red-faced boy with his eyes closed, waiting for the kiss to come. Tom leaned in before Marco changed his mind and pressed their lips together. It was innocent at first, sweet even. Just an ordinary kiss, no rush or urgency. Then Tom got greedy. He was finally kissing Marco and he wanted more. He stopped himself from doing anything by digging his sharp nails into his thigh. This did not, however, stop Marco.

Raising his hands to Tom’s shoulders, Marco pushed until Tom lay flat on his back on his bed. Marco then climbed above him and reconnected their lips in a less innocent kiss. Tom was shocked but too happy to object. Tom placed his hands onto Marco’s hips while Marco’s fingers tangled in Tom’s messy hair as their tongues rolled together. The rest of the world around them melted away as they lost themselves in the kisses and touches of the other. When they pulled apart Marco stared down at Tom with half lidded eyes and wet lips.

“That was…awesome.” Tom said, breathless.

Marco seemed to come to his senses and rolled off Tom, his blush quickly returning. “S-sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Unless…do you regret it?”

“No. I hadn’t expected it to be so…nice. It wasn’t like that with…well…you know.”

“So, you want to do it again?” Tom smiled, reaching over and brushing a strand of hair off of Marco’s face.

“I think it’s going to be awhile before I get over my embarrassment. So…later.”

“Good enough for me.”

Marco couldn’t look at Tom. The kiss had felt amazing, he really wanted to do it again, but the way it had made Tom so happy embarrassed him deeply. “I still need to talk to Jackie.”

Tom’s smile fell away. “What are you going to tell her?”

“I don’t know. Probably that I kissed someone else I realized I might be…be in like with them.”

Tom’s smile returned as he leaned over and pulled Marco into a hug. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy before now. Even if you want to take things slowly I’m totally ok with that. Just knowing you like me too is enough for now.”

Marco smiled and leaned into the hug. “Thanks.”

Marco still wasn’t sure what would happen with Tom. He’d never had a crush on another boy before. For the time being he wanted to enjoy the way Tom’s touch was making him feel. He’d talk to Jackie tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I know this took forever. I went from updating every other day to like a month with nothing. In my defense, I had finals and then holidays with family plus moving to a different state and then my new semester started so I've been extremely busy. On the bright side, I was able to come up with a story line for a second Tomco story so...there's that. This story probably has one or two more chapters after this one. This chapter is shorter than I wanted but I was taking too long and just wanted to get something to you guys because holy crap, 100+ kudos and 1,100+ views. I'm amazed. Thanks for sticking with me!

Marco paced outside of the lunchroom, chewing his nails. Jackie was inside and now was his chance to talk to her. He really didn’t want to hurt her but he wasn’t sure how he could avoid it at this point. He still wasn’t sure about whether he was ready to date Tom or not but he couldn’t string Jackie along, hoping that maybe one day his feelings for her would change. He’d had a long talk with Star the night before when he’d returned from seeing Tom. She’d dragged him to her room the second he stepped through the rift.

“So????” She’d asked, bouncing on her tiptoes.

“So…we talked.”

“What happened?”

“I told him that I knew and that I’m not sure about my feelings so I’d like to take it slow.”

“And?”

“He…kissed me.”

Star’s mouth fell open and her eyes opened wide as she stared at him. That had definitely not been what she was expecting to hear.

“So…are you two dating then?”

“No. Not yet anyway.”

“What are you going to do about Jackie?”

“I’m going to break up with her. Not because of Tom. Not really. I knew this was coming since our last date. But before I can even think about starting a relationship with Tom, I have to break up with her.”

“You’re a good guy Marco.”

“I don’t feel like I am right now.”

“That’s because you have to do something that sucks. Not everyone would have the decency to do that. Others might keep the other girl around in case it didn’t work out with the new interest.”

“Yea, I guess so. I’m just dreading it.”

“I know, buddy.”

They’d chatted a bit longer and Star had made him feel a lot better but now he felt terrible. He needed to suck it up, go to Jackie and just tell her the truth. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door to the cafeteria and scanned the tables for Jackie. When he spotted her she had a big smile on her face, laughing at something with Janna. The knot in the pit of his stomach grew tighter as he forced himself to walk forward. Every step he took he could hear his heartbeat growing louder. His eyes were focused on her, she was all he could see in the busy cafeteria.

“Marco?” He’d barely heard his name when his eyes snapped to Janna. “What are you doing? You’ve just been standing there staring at Jackie with this creepy look on your face. What the heck is wrong with you?”

“I, uh, need to talk to you for a second. In private.”

“Sure, Marco.” Jackie said, standing and following Marco toward the door.

“Oh, come on!” Janna yelled after them. “I don’t get to hear the reason for the creepy stare?”

Once out of the cafeteria the two made their way to a semi-secluded area. Jackie sat on the edge of a large flower bed and Marco stood in front of her, looking at anything but her.

“Dude, is something wrong?” She asked, a small smile on her face.

“No…or, um…I don’t know. I just…I’m not sure that I…or we…are good together.”

“Oh.”

“Not that I haven’t had fun with you, cause I have. You’re an awesome friend and going to the dance with you was awesome. I just think…maybe we should just be friends.” He dared to look at Jackie but her eyes were focused on the ground.

“So, you don’t want to date me?” She asked.

“Yea…sorry.”

“No, it’s ok. I mean, it’s not. You said you liked me first so I definitely didn’t see this happening after only two dates. But I’m not really mad. I just need some time alone. Maybe not see you for a few days. Or weeks.”

“Of course, I completely understand.”

Jackie stood and walked away, leaving Marco to watch after her. He sighed and sat down where she’d just been. That had been easier than he expected but he still felt awful. She said she wasn’t mad but Marco wondered if she’d actually ever speak to him again.

“Wow.” Janna’s voice cut through his thoughts, making him jump.

“You followed us?” He asked, turning to see her crawling out of the nearby bushes.

“Yep. So that’s what the creepy stare was about. You were gonna dump her.”

“Yea.”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Star said, crawling out from the other side of the bushes.

“You were both listening?” He asked, slightly mortified.

“You ask that like you’re surprised.” Janna chuckled, sitting down beside him.

He sighed. “Do you think she hates me?”

“Yes.” Janna said.

“No.” Star said simultaneously.

“Great.” He groaned.

“Oh come on, I’m sure she’ll get over it. Cheer up.” Star poked him in the ribs with the top of her wand and grinned.

“I just hope she’ll talk to me again eventually.”

“Why don’t we do something after school? Ya know, to take your mind off all of this.”

“Yea, I guess.”

“I’m coming too.” Janna said, raising her hand in the air.

Star walked with Marco to their next class. He was luckily enough not to cross paths with Jackie for the rest of the day. He’d been worrying about what he’d do if she saw him so much that he barely even heard the lectures in his last few classes. Now he was dragging his feet on his way to meet up with Star and Janna. He didn’t deserve to have fun after what he’d done to Jackie. There was no getting out of it now though. If he tried to back out Star and Janna would just track him down and drag him out of hiding.

He kept his eyes on the ground as he made his way to the front of the school where they had agreed to meet. He could already hear Star excitedly, and loudly, talking about what flavor ice cream she wanted to order when they got to the shop.

“Hey, there he is.” He heard Janna say.

“Hey.” Marco sighed his greeting.

“Come on Marco, we’re going to get ice cream. No one can frown when they’re eating ice cream!” Star said excitedly.

“Yea, sure.”

“It’s a good thing we called up the surprise, huh?” Janna asked.

“Oh no. What surprise?” Marco asked, suddenly very worried. They wouldn’t be dumb enough to invite Jackie today of all days, would they?

“You’ll see.” Star said, in a singsong voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be afraid to harass me about updating. I might forget otherwise, because, let's be honest, I totally forgot about this for a little while.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally gave you guys a free pass to harass me and you were too nice. Like, don't be afraid to say like "jfc Nova you said you'd update where the hell are you?" cause I'm honestly the worst. School is kicking my ass then I got sick, then better and now I'm sick again and I sprained my wrist so I'm in a brace (which is loads of fun to type with let me tell you). I've also been taking breaks to work on another Tomco fic and I've been fleshing out the plans for a Gravity Falls fic so my attention is definitely split. I also fought with myself over whether I wanted to end this chapter here and I figured it was good enough. Awkward boys are like my favorite thing.

Marco dragged his feet the whole way to the ice cream shop. He mostly trusted Star but sometimes her decision-making skills weren’t the best and he definitely did not trust Janna. Sow whatever the surprise was couldn’t be good. They were doing all of this to make him feel better so he tried to keep an open mind about their suspicious plans. Still, he found himself glancing between the girls and listening closely for any dropped hint about their plans.

The ice cream shop was fairly crowded, as it usually was after school. He spotted many of their classmates scattered throughout the shop but none that they would have surprised him with. The three made their way to the counter and ordered their ice cream. Star ordered something obscenely huge with so many flavors of ice cream Marco gagged just at the thought. Janna ordered their black vanilla ice cream that came with sugar glass pieces dripping strawberry sauce stabbed into the top. Marco ordered himself a chocolate milkshake that he didn’t expect to finish. Even though this trip was for him, he couldn’t really stomach the idea of eating anything sweet. With their orders in hand he followed the overly hyper girls as they wove through the crowd and plopped themselves down at a table in the corner.

Marco sat and glanced around at their surroundings. Still no sign of a surprise and they’d made him pay for everything, which wasn’t a surprise at all. The two girls kept whispering to each other while staring intensely at Marco.

“Ok, you guys are making me nervous.” He said, setting his milkshake down in front of him with as much force as he could manage without breaking the Styrofoam cup.

“You’re too paranoid Marco. Not everything is about you.” Janna said as she licked up some of the strawberry sauce that had dripped onto her fingers.

“You said there was a surprise and you’re acting suspicious. Just tell me what it is.”

“Relax, Marco. You’ll like the surprise. I promise.” Star said with a look of sincerity on her face.

Being told to relax just made his stomach twist tighter as he sighed in an attempt to relieve some of the built-up pressure. This only got worse when Star sat up straight in her chair and looked around the shop. Marco followed her stare when she smiled and found Tom was walking toward them.

“Good surprise, huh?” She asked, winking at her friend.

“Hey.” Tom said, raising his hand in a slight wave. His face was flushed and he seemed to be about the same amount of nervous that Marco had been.

“H-hey.” Marco suddenly felt very embarrassed as he turned his gaze to his milkshake like it was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen.

“This is awkward.” Janna said, with a big grin. “Why is this awkward?”

“It’s not awkward!” Star piped up, grabbing Tom and stirring him toward the empty seat next to Marco. “We’re having a good time. Friends hanging out, having fun, not being awkward at all. Right, Marco?”

“Uh, yea. Not awkward.” He scrunched his eyebrows up at Star, wondering why she was going out of her way to hide things from Janna. Then again, nothing would stop her from reporting everything back to Jackie so maybe Star was doing him a favor.

Marco suddenly became very aware of the boy sitting next to him as he shifted in his seat. He was pretty happy that he was here but he also didn’t know how to act around him. Especially in person, in front of his friends. They still weren’t really dating and he didn’t know what to say to him. He thought about the way he was with Jackie when he’d been crushing on her and then sort of dating her. Even though he had been enemies and then friends with Tom and had been totally cool around him before, things were different now. They’d changed the second their lips met when in Tom’s room.

“You’re not going to eat any ice cream?” Star asked Tom, while digging into the third layer of her sundae.

“Not this time. I just wanted to come and see…everyone.” He responded, his eyes quickly glancing in Marco’s direction.

“I’m sure. Don’t you have like a huge crush on Star?” Janna asked, the wicked grin from earlier still present.

“Nope. Not anymore. Right?” Star blurted.

“Right…” Tom restrained himself from looking at Marco again. “There’s someone else I’m into now.”

“Really? Well now you’ve got to share with the whole class.” Janna pointed one of the shards of hardened sugar toward Tom as she spoke before sucking all of the strawberry sauce off of it.

“Uh…” Tom dug his nails into his jeans and looked to Star for help.

“Tom’s from the underworld, I doubt we’d know the person anyway.” Star said, not doing a great job of hiding her knowing smile.

“So what. I want to know.”

“Is it really important who it is?” Tom asked.

“It is now. Why are you so afraid to tell us? Is it, like, Marco or something?” Janna’s smile grew wider as she laughed at her own question.

Marco choked on his milkshake and erupted into a coughing fit, chocolate ice cream running down his chin in streaks. Not a very smooth move if he was planning on hiding their changed relationship from Janna. She stared at him with narrow eyes.

“C-calm down, Marco. She was joking.” Tom said, patting Marco on the back. His cheeks had turned a light crimson and he let his hand linger on the other boy’s back a moment longer than necessary before pulling it back.

“Yea Marco. I was joking. This is why we say you’re dramatic.” Janna kept her eyes narrowed as she spoke as if she didn’t fully trust them.

Marco wiped at his chin with a napkin. “I’m not dramatic.” He responded. “You just…surprised me.”

Before Janna could make another comment, Star quickly changed the subject to something she’d overheard in class. Marco was glad that the attention was off of him. Eventually he’d be fine with Janna knowing about him and Tom, whatever they were, but the last thing he wanted was for word to get back to Jackie. She didn’t need to know that the same day he dumped her he was out with his new…person of interest. Marco let his hand dangle at his side as he tried to relax and act natural. He just had to pretend that nothing had changed and he was just out with his friends like usual. It was working as the tension began to slip from his muscles and he thought he might be able to join the conversation when clawed fingers interlaced with his beneath the table.

Marco flinched as he stopped himself from snapping his head to look at Tom. All of his progress toward relaxation just flew out the window. Luckily the girls didn’t notice as Marco’s face turned two shades darker. He watched them nervously until he was sure they hadn’t noticed and then something strange happened. All of the anxious tension was gone and he felt totally fine. He was no longer nervous and felt like he could actually enjoy himself now. He curled his fingers around Tom’s and let a small smile creep onto his lips.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's play, how many chapters can Nova end with Tom and Marco holding hands?!? Super short chapter but I decided I wanted to end it here and continue with the other stuff in the next. Also I brought my "cosplay" tumblr back to life, which is nova-butterfly, and I'll probably post progress updates for this fic there at some point??? I'm also going to Connecticon this summer as Star so there will be lots of pics of that~

Marco sat awkwardly on the edge of Tom’s bed as the demon dug through his closet for a box of old photos. It had been three days since the trip to the ice cream shop and Marco had made plans to hang out with Tom. Once face to face they discovered that they had no idea what to do. They didn’t want to go out anywhere just the two of them just yet in case Janna or Jackie saw them and assumed it was a date. Which it kind of was.

The only place they wouldn’t be disturbed was Tom’s place. So here he was, picking at his cuticles while trying not to think about the last time he’d been here. When they were face to face and stumbling over awkward encounters Marco decided to ask for some old pictures of Star that he might still have. Marco glanced at the photos of the two of them that still hung near Tom’s bed. He wondered if there had been pictures of Star there at one point. A smile pulled at his lips when he realized Tom must look at these every night before going to sleep.

Tom finally emerged from his closet with a tattered cardboard box. He sat next to Marco and set the box between them before popping the lid off. The photo right on top was of Star in her “bad girl” days pulling down on her right eye while sticking her tongue out. Marco chuckled at the silly picture of his best friend.

“It’s hard to imagine a time when Star wasn’t all sugar and rainbows.” He said, sifting through the photos in the box.

“She was definitely wild back then. Though she still is.”

“I’ll say.”

Ok, so maybe they shouldn’t spend their first official date talking about Tom’s ex-girlfriend but she was one of the things they had in common and the first thing Marco thought of. Anything was fair game as long as it broke the tension between them. The two laughed their way through photos and stories of the past, which were joined by recent stories from Marco. By the time an hour had past they were back to the way they used to be.

“The guy went flying like forty feet, I swear. I didn’t know Star could kick so hard. I told her she should try out for the football team.” Marco laughed.

“Yea, I’ve been on the end of some of those kicks. They aren’t pleasant.” Tom shuddered, the memories of said kicks coming back to him.

“I can imagine.”

Marco flinched when their hands bumped as they both reached for a photo. The slight contact was enough to bring a light rosy dusting to Marco’s cheeks. Tom didn’t seem to notice, or at least didn’t show it, but Marco’s heart was now beating loudly and all he wanted to do was feel that contact again. Tom had begun telling another story about when Star rode a broom upside down through a festival but Marco barely heard the story as he tried to figure out a smooth way to touch the other boy.

“You ok?” Tom asked, waving a hand near Marco’s face to get his attention.

“Oh, yea. I’m fine.” Marco chewed the inside of his cheek and willed the creeping blush to go away.

“You sure? You kind of zoned out there for a minute.”

“I was just thinking about…um…ducks?”

“Ducks?”

Marco could have slapped himself but it was the first thing that came to mind. He tried to think of something amusing to say about ducks but nothing came to mind. After an uncomfortable silence, Marco let out a long sigh.

“I was actually thinking about…wanting to hold your hand…again.” He admitted, his cheeks heating up as he did so.

A wide smile spread across Tom’s face as he held his hand out in front of him for Marco to take.

“I’m ok with that.”

Marco couldn’t help the smile that invaded his own face as he took Tom’s hand in his. Just as before in the ice cream shop, he didn’t feel awkward at all. He felt happy, at peace and totally relaxed. The two continued their trips down memory lane with their fingers interlaced.


End file.
